I walked along roads and sandy tracks lined with trees today, much of it in the rain.
As I left Kisvarda the route was again beside a busy road, but this time walking on a cycle path. Later the route diverted onto a quieter road through the village of Anarcs, followed by the village of Gyulahaza. The highlight of Gyulahaza is a MiG 21 rising out of a rose garden. Apparently a memorial to the first Hungarian astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, who was born in the village, although the bust next to the jet plane is of Yuri Gagarin.
Then it was a walk along sandy tracks between locust trees to the village of Rohod to the sound of thunder rumbling as the skies darkened. Curiously, I saw little lightening, and the thunder seemed mixed with the more regular thumps of artillery practice. As black clouds gathered I thought it wise to eat the lunch I had bought this morning. Inevitably on starting a piece of pizza bread heavy rain began to fall. It continued to fall at a fluctuating intensity for the next few hours and I was glad of a comprehensive set of waterproofs (jacket, trousers and rucksack cover) as the temperature dropped and I started sliding on saturated sand.
Eventually the rain cleared and I reached the vicinity of the Osto Vendeghaz (where I booked to stay) at 4:00 pm, an hour before I had told the owner. I called him and said I would be in a nearby "Bufe", basically a small bar. Here I managed to get a beer and even better a free Palinka. The men seated in the bar were curious about what I was doing (few British people reach this area), so when the helpful Vendeghaz owner arrived, who spoke some English, I answered various questions he translated - where was I from, how far did I walk each day and how heavy was my rucksack (quite heavy as I was carrying the means to make an evening meal)?
The Vendeghaz is a sort of little holiday home by a lake with reeds and ducks, a bit untidy and neglected. As a "welcome drink" the owner had given me another glass of Palinka. Although the taste is different its effects reminded me of an occasion when I had too many vodka toasts in Russia. Some time after you have drunk it, you start to feel not quite in control. Consequently after cooking a sort of cassoulet from a tin supplemented with bread and tomatoes, I bedded down for an early night.
As I left Kisvarda the route was again beside a busy road, but this time walking on a cycle path. Later the route diverted onto a quieter road through the village of Anarcs, followed by the village of Gyulahaza. The highlight of Gyulahaza is a MiG 21 rising out of a rose garden. Apparently a memorial to the first Hungarian astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, who was born in the village, although the bust next to the jet plane is of Yuri Gagarin.
Then it was a walk along sandy tracks between locust trees to the village of Rohod to the sound of thunder rumbling as the skies darkened. Curiously, I saw little lightening, and the thunder seemed mixed with the more regular thumps of artillery practice. As black clouds gathered I thought it wise to eat the lunch I had bought this morning. Inevitably on starting a piece of pizza bread heavy rain began to fall. It continued to fall at a fluctuating intensity for the next few hours and I was glad of a comprehensive set of waterproofs (jacket, trousers and rucksack cover) as the temperature dropped and I started sliding on saturated sand.
Eventually the rain cleared and I reached the vicinity of the Osto Vendeghaz (where I booked to stay) at 4:00 pm, an hour before I had told the owner. I called him and said I would be in a nearby "Bufe", basically a small bar. Here I managed to get a beer and even better a free Palinka. The men seated in the bar were curious about what I was doing (few British people reach this area), so when the helpful Vendeghaz owner arrived, who spoke some English, I answered various questions he translated - where was I from, how far did I walk each day and how heavy was my rucksack (quite heavy as I was carrying the means to make an evening meal)?
The Vendeghaz is a sort of little holiday home by a lake with reeds and ducks, a bit untidy and neglected. As a "welcome drink" the owner had given me another glass of Palinka. Although the taste is different its effects reminded me of an occasion when I had too many vodka toasts in Russia. Some time after you have drunk it, you start to feel not quite in control. Consequently after cooking a sort of cassoulet from a tin supplemented with bread and tomatoes, I bedded down for an early night.
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| Mig21 in village of Gyulahaza |
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| Sandy tracks through trees |
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| Lake at bottom of my Vendeghaz |
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